That rustling sound

[gavin]

What are the bees thinking when you pull a frame and you hear that rustling of paper noise? Irritation? Something else? I've heard it off and on but never been able to associate it with anything in particular.

I heard it tonight in the colony of a new beginner on the way home (a colony with a replacement virgin freshly hatched) and in a couple of mine (same state and also with a 1 year old laying queen). Another colony with a newly laying queen was quiet, as was another colony with a new layer but this last one, mild when opened last Saturday and only on about 3 frames, went on a stinging frenzy. Hence the fat hand and slow typing, and ... well .... itchy thighs. I've never seen a small nuc go on the attack like that and I was quite unprepared for the onslaught on my thin vinyl gloves and single layer of jeans.

It wasn't a good evening for beekeeping as the rain clouds had recently moved on and a windy few days had kept the opportunities for foraging short.

G.

[Jimbo]

I have never heard the noise you described but I think the noise the bees make when they are in a polysyrene apidea is amazing. My wife thought it sounds like thousands of little bee feet marching.
This week has not been good for opening hives. I started moving my 5 frame nucs to full size hives as they were bursting with bees. The first was on Wed night when I opened the nuc in the rain. The girls were having none of it. I was covered in bees and lucky I had my thick gloves on as they picked up hundreds of stings. I closed up and got out. Thursday was not much better. Wet night but the nuc was a bit more gentle, however the hive from Wed night thought they would have another go at me. I will need to check this one on a good day incase it is an agressive queen. Tonight the nuc was nice and gentle.

Jimbo

[Stromnessbees]

I noticed unusual sounds when I united a queenless colony with another colony (newspaper method):

I could only hear it when I put my ear on the broodbox. It was a drawn-out 'Drrrrrrrrrrr', like when you hold a piece of plastic into the spokes of a turning wheel.
The following day all was quiet again.

Any ideas?

Doris

[gavin]

Doris! We've missed you ....

Was that different from the queenless moan or queenless roar (http://www.ent.uga.edu/Bees/disorders/non-infectious-diseases-pests.html)?

If anyone has any sound files of such things do let me know and I'll upload them to the web site and provide a link.

G.

[gavin]

There's a similar rustling noise here at about 1'48'' though I don't know if it is a real soundtrack or just something added by the film-makers.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6m40W1s0Wc

That was what I wondered at the time - whether they were getting ready to attack me! They didn't, not these ones.

[gavin]

And in Apis dorsata here around 2' 25'' in ...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vll_2xH_SQY

Always worth paying attention when David Attenborough is narrating. I wonder if any of us have moths raiding our colonies in a similar way?